Is yoga ‘creative’ — and should it be?

We had a chat the other night at the beginning of class about whether yoga is creative or not. It sprang from someone asking my teacher if his classes were creative. He then got thinking about what that actually meant and brought the question to class for a little discussion. Immediate reaction from the class... Continue Reading →

April 6, 2016 10

Breaking the virtuous circle

I realise there's something of a virtuous circle going in my yoga: I am used to my regular teacher's take on things so this always seems self evidently 'the truth' because it's what I'm familiar with... because it's what he taught me... It's very comforting because it's self-reinforcing. Does that make it a vicious circle in... Continue Reading →

April 5, 2016 4

Hope for change

I'm going to share with you the ultimate wisdom (for today anyway!) that I've gleaned from my massive (that's nearly three years 😉 ) of practicing yoga: There'll always be room for improvement and there's always hope for change. What has struck me from a regular practice where I try to do something every day... Continue Reading →

April 1, 2016 8

Laughing ribs

My teacher taught me a magic trick recently -- what I think of as 'the laughing ribs'. It involves a contraction (like when you laugh) that pulls in the lower ribs. Since then I've developed a minor obsession with this, which is I hope is just starting to mature into a bit more of a stable relationship.... Continue Reading →

March 29, 2016 4

Springtime — the start of something

Spring is a great time of year for new beginnings. So much more so than the start of the calendar year, I think. New Year with its traditional guilt trip of resolution-making and self-improvement seems serious; springtime by contrast feels fun and optimistic. Turning over a new leaf in various ways (no pun intended) simply feels... Continue Reading →

March 27, 2016 0

Too soon to celebrate (much!)

I've been congratulated three times this past week! What have I done to merit this? Nothing at all! Yet. All I've done is pay the deposit for a teacher training course. But actually this does strangely feel like something worth celebrating! For me it's a big step in itself. Finances aside, it's a definite commitment to whatever... Continue Reading →

March 26, 2016 12

Walking by myself and talking to myself

My teacher often urges us in class not to close down at the end of our practice but to arrive at a place of mental and physical resolution where we can walk out into the world carrying our yoga with us in some way. Yoga doesn't stop with the closing OM, right? Class ran over... Continue Reading →

March 24, 2016 2

Kindling hope

I am starting to feel a slight warmth in my heart again. It is a comfort, a small illumination from my inner self. After time in the wilderness where I have felt nothing but fatigue, compassion worn too thin, energies depleted and my patience and temper frayed, this small glow within brings me feelings of gratitude. And... Continue Reading →

March 24, 2016 2

Books vs body

Prof Mark Williams -- the proponent of mindfulness meditation for depression and other chronic illnesses (a kind of British Jon Kabat-Zinn if I may) -- really spoke to me when he said that he once thought he could learn everything about Mindfulness by reading about it. And then he realised that it's a practice. And... Continue Reading →

March 23, 2016 2

Child’s pose for Hubby

Hubby has a phobia of restorative yoga. And I'm sure he's not the only one. If you're used to a more dynamic practice, the long passive holds and quiet spaces for the mind to go crazy in can be a bit daunting. For Hubby there's a lot of bodily tension in general and a complaining sciatic... Continue Reading →